Geek of Oz

I came out of Divergent looking at a nearby bridge thinking I might just be able to scale it. That speaks a little about the levels of adrenalin I reached watching the film. Divergent is a thoroughly enjoyable and thrilling addition to the adventure/sci-fi teen-targeted films, which along with entries like The Hunger Games, the genre is providing quality entertainment for teens and us older folk alike. The film is based on the first in an enormously popular series of books written by first-time author Veronica Roth, in which Divergent is followed by Insurgent and Allegiant. The world of Divergent is a compelling one, which is established quickly in the first few minutes. Set in a slightly ravaged-looking near future Chicago, with barren-looking fields surrounding the edges of the city, a giant fence closing it all in and wildness beyond. Society is split into 5 virtue-based factions designed to build harmony and balance after human nature is felt to have failed and ultimately ...

Endless Love starring Alex Pettyfer (I am Number 4, Magic Mike) and Gabriella Wilde (The Three Musketeers, Carrie) is one of this year’s Valentine’s Day releases, along with Are We Officially Dating? (Zac Efron and Imogen Poots) and Winter’s Tale (Colin Farrell, Russell Crowe and Jessica Brown Findlay). Chances are a lot of you guys out there might end up seeing one of these films, and perhaps not by choice ....and you had better hope it is not Endless Love. Endless Love is something like a romantic fantasy for teen girls with Everest level heights of drama. The story follows the bumpy romance of pretty-lovelorn simple-dreamer, David Elliott (Pettyfer who shall henceforth be called Prettyfer) and lonely, studious, also very pretty rich-girl Jade Butterfield (Wilde). Both have recently graduated from the same high school, with David looking to help his father in their Garage and Jade destined for a prestigious medical education at Brown University, obsessively encouraged by h...

Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom is a film that has drawn a fair amount of attention, not least for being released not long after Mandela’s own passing. It is not a perfect film and is, for the viewer, an extensive journey (clocking in at 2 hours, 27 mins), but one that is worth taking. It is an inspiring, moving and shocking story beautifully acted by leads Idris Elba ( The Wire , Luther , Thor ) as Mandela and Naomie Harris ( Skyfall, Pirates of the Caribbean ) as Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. From the very beginning, the film declares itself to be “a very important biopic”, with a sweeping score set to dramatic slow-motion, frequent captioning of locations & dates and comprehensive dialogue, unpacking every moment that is captured of Mandela’s life. It cannot be described as a subtle film and at times verges on seeming a tad simplistic. Mandela and Winnie look just so glamorous and striking compared to the white South Africans who are generally unimpressive, ordinary-looking,...